Lady Gaga and a Battle Between Écriture Féminine and Objectification

Abstract

This is an undergraduate honors thesis that I completed during the fall semester of 2012 as a senior, majoring in English and French at Calvin College. In this thesis, I examine the relationship between objectification and Hélène Cixous’s theory of écriture féminine in terms of Lady Gaga’s music videos “Bad Romance” and “Yoü and I.” AlthoughCixous’s theory concerns language and not music or film, I take the tenets of her theory and apply them to Lady Gaga’s music videos, analyzing the videos as text. I argue that aspects of écriture féminine, including multiplicity and circularity, that are found in these two music videos allow Lady Gaga to combat and, ultimately, transcend objectification.

I have chosen to present this thesis digitally in order to best examine Lady Gaga’s work. Digital presentation allows me to engage her music videos in ways beyond the capacities of a hard-copy paper.

Many thanks to my professors, especially Professors Jennifer H. Williams and Linda Naranjo-Huebl, who provided invaluable insight, advice, and encouragement and to my friends who cheerfully put up with my endless obsessing.